On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton visited San Diego to sign copies of her memoir, “Hard Choices,” and address delegates to the BIO International Convention.

Still, you didn’t have to be a veteran observer of American politics to suspect that the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state had another agenda. You didn’t even have to be an American.

Just ask David Engquist, an accountant from Stockholm standing outside Warwick’s Books in La Jolla. There, 1,100 people stood in line for hours, waiting for Clinton’s autograph on her new book. Many wore red, white and blue stickers reading “I’m Ready for Hillary.”

Engquist’s conclusion: “It definitely looks like she’s going to run.”

Is she? That question hovered over this visit, raised by would-be supporters and equally determined opponents. The 66-year-old Clinton, though, never confirmed or denied plans to pursue the presidency in 2016.

“I’m having a great time going around, talking to people,” she told the BIO conventioneers.

Her wide-ranging, hourlong talk inside the San Diego Convention Center touched on foreign policy, climate change, tax policy — and even revealed an obscure chapter from her biography. As a young woman, she noted, she cleaned salmon in Alaska as a “slimer.”

“I often say it was the job I had that prepared me for Washington,” she said, winning a laugh.

Clinton’s possible next job, though, seemed to inspire the day’s crowds. Warwick’s sold out its stock of “Hard Choices” more than a week before her visit, but that didn’t stop the inquiries.

“We’ve been getting calls nonstop,” said Janet Lutz, an employee. “It’s been a crazy week at Warwick’s, but interesting.”

People began waiting outside the shop at 3:30 a.m., five hours before Clinton was due. By the time she arrived, the line snaked down Girard Avenue and wrapped around Prospect Street to Drury Lane. The line moved slowly, as customers passed through a metal detector, and Secret Service agents forced them to abandon long-stemmed roses, DVDs and other gifts they had hoped to give the author/politician.

Poway’s Lisa Breedlove carried a wooden stool carved by her husband, Jim Breedlove. “I want to give it to Hillary for her unborn grandchild,” she said.

The line held the occasional local celebrity, including former city councilwoman Donna Frye and Irene McCormack Jackson, the one-time communications chief to former Mayor Bob Filner whose sexual harassment lawsuit helped force his resignation last year.

In a crowd that was roughly two-thirds female, La Jolla’s James Armstrong made a statement with his T-shirt. “Hard Choices Make Tough Cookies,” read the front. The back: “Tough Cookies Make the Best Presidents.”

Volunteers roamed the line, offering to sign people up for “Ready for Hillary,” an independent group formed by former Clinton aides.

“It’s to show her that we are ready for her, ready for Secretary Clinton, when she decides to run for office,” said Anne Barber of Santee. “And we really hope she does.”

Also seeking members: The Hillary Clinton Support Network, a fan club with a looser, less-defined mission. “We respect any decision she makes,” said Frances Heussenstamm of Laguna Beach. “We’re not putting any pressure on her, as opposed to Ready for Hillary.”

While the scene outside Warwick’s often resembled a pro-Clinton political rally, some critics showed up. Escondido’s Bob and Debbie Lenson drove past in their truck, hauling a homemade billboard: “Remember Benghazi! Help Denied, Four Died, Hillary Lied!”

The sign referred to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi, Libya. Islamic militants wounded 10 and killed four Americans: Glen Doherty of Encinitas and Tyrone Woods of Imperial Beach, both former Navy SEALs; State Department information officer Sean Smith, a native San Diegan; and the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens. The dead included Because the incident occurred during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, critics say it casts doubt on her judgment and ability to serve.

Outside the convention center, dozens more protesters carried signs citing Benghazi or Clinton’s recent comment that she and President Bill Clinton were “broke” when they left the White House in 2001.

“Dead Broke is Better Than Dead in Benghazi” read one placard.

“Someone needs to be accountable for the dead,” said Carol Taylor of Mystic, Conn., whose husband was attending the conference. “This is beyond politics, really.”

Kay Stump agreed. The 79-year-old Ramona resident is a member of a Republican women’s club, but had never attended a protest until Wednesday. “We’ve received a lot of ‘thank yous,’” she said, “and not a lot of hostility.”

Inside the convention center, though, the audience seemed solidly in Clinton’s corner. Standing ovations greeted her entrance and exit, and her talk with BIO President Jim Greenwood — a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania — was often interrupted by applause.

Her presentation included pithy comments on climate change: “The debate is settled. What is not settled is what we’re going to do about it.”

The Middle East: “You’re not going to keep Iraq intact if you don’t have representation,” she said, noting the scarcity of Sunnis in key government posts.

Vladimir Putin: “I think he wants to see a Russia defined by its territorial influence. He is somebody that you have to stand up to.”

The comments — like the motorcade of black vans, the Secret Service agents, the protesters, the buttons — seemed straight out of a campaign.

Lenny Fabian, a Clinton backer from Chula Vista, noticed. Guiding two out-of-town friends — Julio Linares and Julio Linares Jr., a father and son from Guatemala — around San Diego, he steered them to the protesters outside the convention center. They watched in silence, looking a bit befuddled.

“This is just interesting to them,” Fabian said. “America is a great place because you can do this.”